'Water seeks the low places'

&Tab;—Leonardo da Vinci

A water-filled drum rests on the floor, fixed to the ceiling with tensioned stretch cords. Two metres above, an identical vessel sits on a metal tower.

Sip by sip, a small, solar powered pump displaces the contents of the lower drum to it's upper counterpart. As it's suspension system relaxes with the decreasing weight, the barrel gradually rises. When it is lifted to a distance equal to it's own height, the pump stops. A leak valve opens, permitting the water to trickles back down to it's source, lowering the container to its initial position. The cycle repeats.

The system is intermittent, depending on the weather. Things move lethargically. It may take days or weeks for levitation to occur.

Small things can work to eventually act upon forces larger than they. Trees do this. A network of tiny 'pumps' in a tree slowly moves large masses of water great distances, from underground up to the top leaves. A tree moves many times its own weight in water over its lifetime.

Timelapse video made during the exhibition Stop. Look. Listen. curated by Pat Macaulay at Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, Canada, 2011). One shot was taken about every 3½ minutes, from May 29th, 2011 at 1:16pm to June 12th, 2011 at 9:36am (approx. 2 weeks) with a Canon PowerShot camera running CHDK and Andrew Hazelden's intervalometer script. Thanks for the help Andrew!